3/23/2023
Commemorative postage stamps honouring Serbian-German relations development
At the Goethe Institute in Belgrade, a promotion was held for the issue of commemorative postage stamps celebrating the relations between Serbia and Germany.
The jubilees of 140 years since the signing of the first trade and consular agreements between Serbia and Germany and the first meeting of modern Serbian culture with the West, which took place 200 years ago in Germany with the arrival of the creator of the modern Serbian language, Vuk Stefanović Karadžić, to German universities, were presented on two issues of postage stamps. These two historical moments marked the beginning of the formation of economic and cultural ties between Serbia and Germany, which, despite all the historical challenges, continue to this day and which for Serbia represent some of the most important points of support in relations with the West.
Anke Konrad, Ambassador of Germany to Serbia and Stanko Blagojević, PhD, Assistant Minister of Culture of Serbia, thanked the Post of Serbia and the Goethe Institute in Belgrade for the initiative to immortalize some of the most important positive events in the complex history of Serbia and Germany on postage stamps and thereby send another clear a signal that Serbia is committed to building good relations with Germany and the EU.
Zoran Đorđević, Acting Director of the Post of Serbia, said: "We symbolically remember two great events that brought new impulses and initiated the building of long-term ties and relations in the areas that are still most important in our cooperation: economy, trade, investments, political relations, science and culture. With everything that we have to show today, we will further refine our cultural and artistic offer and production and strengthen cultural and creative ties that have existed for a long time, and which we should continue to preserve and nurture. The two jubilees that are being celebrated this year served as inspiration for us, and I am grateful to H.E. Ambassador Konrad and the Goethe Institute for their support and joint promotion of philatelic issues, of which, I can freely say, we can be proud."
On this occasion, another artistic step forward was made, with which the Post of Serbia, the Goethe Institute and the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Belgrade gave another symbolic pledge for even better ties between Serbia and Germany in the future. The masterpiece of Serbian painting "The Apotheosis of Vuk Karadžić" by Pavle Paja Jovanović, 1897, from a private collection, served as the motif on the commemorative postage stamp and vignettes of the issue. The oil on canvas of the Serbian painter, who created most of his artistic opus in the West, was exhibited to the public only once, on the occasion of the transfer of Vuk Karadžić's mortal remains to Belgrade, in a shop window in the center of Belgrade. Since then it has been in private collections. Today, a replica of this work saw the light of day again in the window of the Goethe Institute in Belgrade, not far from the place where it was first and last available to the Serbian public 126 years ago, and where it will be exhibited until Monday.
Professional cooperation in the realization of the issue "140 years of the Trade Agreement and Consular Convention" - Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in FR Germany; artistic realization of the issue: Miroslav Nikolić and Nadežda Skočajić, creators of stamps for the Post of Serbia.
Professional cooperation in the realization of the issue "200 years since the arrival of Vuk Karadžić in Germany" - Association of Writers of Serbia; graphic realization of the issue: Nadežda Skočajić.